We have all heard of each side of the aisle calling the counter side out for voter fraud. This is common place in today’s political climate as a friendly tactic amongst pundits from both camps. However, beyond the name calling and accusations there may be some truth to the matter – especially in Texas.
Five years ago, Dr. Laura Pressley filed an election contest in Texas, citing irregularities and illegalities which occurred in the tabulation and recount of her 2014 Austin City Council race. Because of the electronic tabulation errors, constitutional violations, and illegalities in her recount, Pressley argued that the results were unknowable. The evidentiary and legal claims she presented were a first in Texas.
Andy Hugue, PRWire
From 2005 to 2019, The Heritage Foundation has cited over 86 cases of election. That’s 6.14 election fraud cases per year. Which means that there are at least 1-3 cases per election cycle.
If convicted, a state election crime will get you prison time. If a federal offense, you have a permanent felony on your record.
With the onset use of technology in elections, ballot crimes have been a growing problem in Texas and the nation. We are now using algorithms, proxies and, and social media targeting to impact how votes are cast and counted.
“Those who violate our election laws don’t just steal a vote from another citizen, they destroy their community’s confidence in the democratic process. Mail ballots are intended to protect the voting rights of Texans who are unable to travel to polling locations, but criminals exploit this process to alter votes through manipulation and deception. Fraudsters who threaten the viability of our democratic elections must be caught and prosecuted, and I thank the Seventh Court of Appeals for remanding this case to trial so the State may do just that.”
Attorney General Paxton
In the case of Dr. Laura Pressley, she was sanctioned more than $100,000 in lower court proceedings just for asking legal questions of whether her loss to now-Austin City Councilman Gregorio Casar was the result of a fair election and accurate electronic ballot-counting.
But her sanctions were all overturned in January 2019 by a unanimous ruling in the state Supreme Court — a ruling that opens the door for future challenges to the way votes are counted in Texas.
There are obvious cases of voter and election fraud happening across the country. We are starting to use technology to catch those that act out of step in their roles in elections. Voting is not only our civic duty but also what keeps us and our elected officials honest.
We are responsible for bringing suspicious activity to, not just one person, but multiple. We must be vigilant in our approach in how we curate and nurture the voting process. Because in the end, if your vote is tampered with, your vote doesn’t count. That is the very definition of the loss of democracy. Most importantly, the loss of voting is the loss of this great country and how the founders birthed it to be.
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